work-item-hygiene

Audit Azure DevOps work items for quality and compliance.

Updated Mar 31, 2026

Search Tags:#quality #health-check #sprint-planning #process-improvement #azure-devops #work-items

Ready to run

npx skills add https://github.com/shellicar/skills --skill work-item-hygiene

💬 Prompt for ChatGPT / Claude Chat▼

Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: work-item-hygiene
Source: https://github.com/shellicar/skills/tree/main/skills/work-item-hygiene
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/shellicar/skills --skill work-item-hygiene

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve?

Keeps the Azure DevOps board clean and sprint planning reliable by discovering quality issues such as area path violations, orphaned items, and inadequate descriptions, and presenting them for review before any fixes are applied.

Core Features & Use Cases

Audit work items for quality, completeness, and consistency.
Present findings grouped by severity for review and approval before changes.
Provide guidance on fixes and guardrails to prevent recurring issues.

Quick Start

Run a health-check on the current sprint to identify and review high-severity quality issues before applying fixes.

Frequently Asked Questions about work-item-hygiene

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema

How do I audit Azure DevOps work items for backlog quality and compliance?▼

You can audit Azure DevOps work items by running a health-check that identifies area path violations, orphaned items, and inadequate descriptions, grouping findings by severity for review before applying fixes.

What is the best way to find orphaned items in Azure DevOps before sprint planning?▼

The best way to find orphaned items is to perform a work item health-check that deterministically audits your Azure DevOps board and presents orphaned entries grouped by severity for approval before changes.

Can I review Azure DevOps area path violations without automatically applying fixes?▼

Yes, you can review area path violations safely because the audit process presents all findings for approval first, providing deterministic checks and guardrails before any changes are applied to your work items.

How do I check work item description adequacy across Azure DevOps iterations?▼

You check description adequacy by running a backlog hygiene audit across your Azure DevOps iterations, which deterministically evaluates work item descriptions and highlights inadequate content grouped by severity.

Does work item hygiene support guardrails to prevent recurring quality issues in Azure DevOps?▼

Yes, work item hygiene provides guardrails for area path validity and process improvement, ensuring safe and auditable fixes while offering guidance to prevent recurring quality issues on your Azure DevOps board.